Oh yeah, i forgot to ask... Did anyone go the the information session for illustration?
I had some stuff to do and was unable to make it...

Was there anything important at the session??

I was there the whole session, and I was totally itching to get out and go for the tour.. The guy in the purple shirt explained some of the basic stuff, like how you had to choose between technical or concept stuff by the third (?) year. He showed some artwork, did a little commentary on each one. Made a lot of corny jokes that people politely laughed at. He also told us that there were about 400 portfolios for Illus. this year (I was surprised by such a low number) and they were taking 100 for the first year class. Then he told us about his career, and how if you're expecting a steady salary, it's unlikely, haha. You are eligible to go into teaching with the degree. Um... Stuff about drawing the cover for a comic book, and designing Canadian Tire money.. I don't remember questions being asked. Kinda boring, but informative.

The tour was nice, but really short. I walked around with my friend afterwards. Our tour guy's name was Kelsey, I believe.

Sorry for the long post, I was half trying to let you know about the stuff and half testing myself on how much I remember.

(on the topic of ART) She's a demanding bitch that wants ALL your time and gets angry and pulls away if you even LOOK at another creative endeavor! "What, I'm not GOOD enough for you now? hm? well guess what, BAM! now try to draw without me, ya bastard!"

The guy in the purple shirt explained some of the basic stuff, like how you had to choose between technical or concept stuff by the third (?) year.

It's actually at the end of first year you have to decide whether to go into the technical or interpretive stream. Second year onwards is devoted to whichever of these two disciplines you chose. The first year of illustration acts more as general illustration course and lays down the basics for both streams. Then depending what you like or excel at more, you chose one and the courses you have to take differ depending on the stream you're in once you've completed your first year.

I was there the whole session, and I was totally itching to get out and go for the tour.. The guy in the purple shirt explained some of the basic stuff, like how you had to choose between technical or concept stuff by the third (?) year. He showed some artwork, did a little commentary on each one. Made a lot of corny jokes that people politely laughed at. He also told us that there were about 400 portfolios for Illus. this year (I was surprised by such a low number) and they were taking 100 for the first year class. Then he told us about his career, and how if you're expecting a steady salary, it's unlikely, haha. You are eligible to go into teaching with the degree. Um... Stuff about drawing the cover for a comic book, and designing Canadian Tire money.. I don't remember questions being asked. Kinda boring, but informative.

The tour was nice, but really short. I walked around with my friend afterwards. Our tour guy's name was Kelsey, I believe.

Sorry for the long post, I was half trying to let you know about the stuff and half testing myself on how much I remember.

I wasn't at the session, but who was the guy in the purple shirt? A teacher or a former student?

The year I applied there were over 1000 portfolios... count yourselves lucky, haha

I wasn't at the session, but who was the guy in the purple shirt? A teacher or a former student?

If his name is Kelsey and he was one of the STARs guys giving the tour, he's a student. 3rd year interp.
At any rate, I find it strange that a student would be telling people that a steady salary is unrealistic. He's a student with no industry experience, how could he know?

It was probably Joe. Corny jokes give it away, also he gave the same speech at my info session. Basically to the effect of, "If you're thinking you're going to make $200,000 a year doing this, leave now"

It was probably Joe. Corny jokes give it away, also he gave the same speech at my info session. Basically to the effect of, "If you're thinking you're going to make $200,000 a year doing this, leave now"

My memories of my session long ago are pretty hazy... that was back in 2003 or 2004 or something...

All I really remember was one applicant putting up his hand and asking "if I got in to illustration AND animation then could I do both at the same time?" He was promptly laughed at.

The other one was when the old coordinator was saying he'd love to take everyone who applied (when answering a question about why illustration only took 10% of the applicants) but couldn't as the industry could only take a 100 grads every year.

hmm i remember on the rubric they gave u a sample score sheet and it said if u don't have a min score of 3.26 u can't get in and it also said the average can also increase if theres more competition. But since theres not as many applicants this year i was wondering will the min score drop too? God I hope so...

If it makes you feel better I read on the website of another Canadian animation school (Algonquin) that only about one in ten portfolios are actually acceptable, and by what I've read on here (DBZ fanart poster? Seriosly?) I can totally believe it. So if it makes you feel better, so long as you follow the rules exactly and have a smidgen of skill, you should be okay, especially with the low turnout this year.
Actually I'm quite curious to see how they grade me.

They said in the information session for animation that they had 900 students pay the tuition fee to apply, but only 600 portfolios were submitted.

Other than the work load being daunting I'm not sure.

Perhaps it's the flood of 3d animation that's in the market right now (do people not realise that 2d animation is being re-picked up by disney as a focus again? or that there's lots and lots of animation work that you can do with the animation degree, including 3d )

There's always a good-sized gap between the number off paid applicants and actual portfolio submissions. They two years I tried to get in, I was told that the average number of applicants was something like 1200-1500 each year, but they never receive that many portfolios.

Even then 900/600 is pretty low. Last year was bad, too. Probly related to the down economy.

@Cheesecake: Following the rules exactly is pretty tough unless you're actually on campus. The written rubric is sparse, and they're looking for some specific things in the portfolios. The first year I applied, I didn't know any of that, and didn't get in. I took art fundies (guinea pig for the now-dead animation stream), and they gave us the run-down of all sorts of extra info they wanted to see.

@Visona: If they don't meet their enrollment quota after tabulating the scores, they'll go down the list in score order, granting acceptance until they hit their number. I heard rumors that they had to go further down their list than they really would've liked to fill the list last year.

They said in the information session for animation that they had 900 students pay the tuition fee to apply, but only 600 portfolios were submitted.

Other than the work load being daunting I'm not sure.

Perhaps it's the flood of 3d animation that's in the market right now (do people not realise that 2d animation is being re-picked up by disney as a focus again? or that there's lots and lots of animation work that you can do with the animation degree, including 3d )

Last year the number of applicants for illustration and animation was low as well. I'd chalk it up to the fact that a recession economy doesn't inspire people to follow a career that is notoriously unstable (at least, as far as people perceive). I don't think it has much to do with the industry influx of 3D, since that's been going on for a good decade, not just in the last year or two. Probably just people's parents wanting them to be accountants instead of animators.

Last year the number of applicants for illustration and animation was low as well. I'd chalk it up to the fact that a recession economy doesn't inspire people to follow a career that is notoriously unstable (at least, as far as people perceive). I don't think it has much to do with the industry influx of 3D, since that's been going on for a good decade, not just in the last year or two. Probably just people's parents wanting them to be accountants instead of animators.

Hooray, less job competition in the future then? I don't know whether I'd be glad or scared if I actually got accepted for illustration right now, I feel that a)since the acceptance rate is higher than normal, it's kinda unfair and b) I never really learned the basics so I REALLY think I should go for fundamentals.. I've spent a long time drawing from observation instead of looking at structure (I can't draw people from imagination or anything..) Sigh. Yet I'm STILL nervous about the scoring anyway, as if I have a hope even though I kind of expect/need art fundamentals.

BTW did you see those guys who are.. older than I expected (since I'm 17) with giant paintings of like.. dragons? I thought fantasy stuff was disapproved of. I was the short asian guy and one of the only ones carrying a small folder instead of a fancy case.. Yeah, I suck.

aww you don't suck. I saw some other students handing in similar portfolios to what you did, presentation wise. I'm sure they get that. But in the future, you should probably pick up a presentation binder, or a portfolio. A presentation binder is only like $12 at art stores.

as for the paintings, I thought I read something about items over a certain dimension should be photographed. Also, pretty sure they say no manga/anime, no fantasy work, and no digital art. But people had tons and tons of that stuff in their books when I was there. *shrug* not sure.

aww you don't suck. I saw some other students handing in similar portfolios to what you did, presentation wise. I'm sure they get that. But in the future, you should probably pick up a presentation binder, or a portfolio. A presentation binder is only like $12 at art stores.

as for the paintings, I thought I read something about items over a certain dimension should be photographed. Also, pretty sure they say no manga/anime, no fantasy work, and no digital art. But people had tons and tons of that stuff in their books when I was there. *shrug* not sure.

I wonder how strict they are with the whole fantasy/manga work, maybe they'll deduct points for not reading instructions properly..? Haha

I think the photographs are for the mail ones only, or at least keep the work at a good size. I saw some sad looking women with GIANT paintings, I think they couldn't submit them because they were too big.

Actually, ive heard quite a few thigns regarding what we can and "cannot" submit. For the animation portfolio, we were told we were not allowed to put anime or digital art in there. But i know plenty of good artists who got in with the majority of their portfolio based off of both of these things. Regardless, a skilled artist is a good artist. They tell people to stay away from anime because they don't want cookie cutter anime styles like sailormoon and big googly eyes and they don't want digital art because some are against the younger generation learning digitally with the undo button and not with a pencil first. Which isn't all true, its more of a generalization.

the tl;dr is. If you do it tastefully and with skill,it they should allow some leeway. Not sure how MUCH leeway for the illustration portfolio but i know this for the animation portfolio for sure. A artist who's art style is influenced by anime or done digitally doesn't mean they can't display things like line weight, proportion, line variety, light source and good composition and coloring techniques. Just make sure it doesn't flood your portfolio.

Is it? Keep in mind, the number of people applying is much less important than how good peoples' portfolios are. There weren't a tremendously high number of applicants this year, just like last year. However, this year had some much stronger portfolios than last year, so the pass grade will (likely) be higher.
Do you have any idea what the pass grade is this year? Have you been told, or are they going to tell you when you get your evaluation back?

Either way, a lot of people in this thread are worrying about other people - how many applied, how good they are, etc. Don't worry about other people! The best person to compete with is yourself. Set your own standards, push yourself hard based on your own capabilities. Put your nose to the grindstone and work your butt off; don't worry too much about the other guys. : )

They certainly will! The portfolio is an indicator of your skill, but your ability to follow simple instructions is absolutely crucial. If you can't follow the basic instructions regarding portfolios, you won't do well in the program, much less as a professional illustrator. If a client asks you to do a commission with a specific art brief and you blatantly disregard it, you won't be getting work from that client again.

Is it? Keep in mind, the number of people applying is much less important than how good peoples' portfolios are. There weren't a tremendously high number of applicants this year, just like last year. However, this year had some much stronger portfolios than last year, so the pass grade will (likely) be higher.
Do you have any idea what the pass grade is this year? Have you been told, or are they going to tell you when you get your evaluation back?

Either way, a lot of people in this thread are worrying about other people - how many applied, how good they are, etc. Don't worry about other people! The best person to compete with is yourself. Set your own standards, push yourself hard based on your own capabilities. Put your nose to the grindstone and work your butt off; don't worry too much about the other guys. : )

They certainly will! The portfolio is an indicator of your skill, but your ability to follow simple instructions is absolutely crucial. If you can't follow the basic instructions regarding portfolios, you won't do well in the program, much less as a professional illustrator. If a client asks you to do a commission with a specific art brief and you blatantly disregard it, you won't be getting work from that client again.

Thanks for the response Ryn! I don't believe they told us the passing grade.. AND WAIT, "this year had some much stronger portfolios than last year", were you helping out/evaluating or just heard from a teacher about the portfolios? If so, out of curiosity, how many of the transformations involved objects being cut in half? >_> My ideas are usually quite bizarre (I was thinking about transforming them into different textures, like a cup turned into the texture of strawberry skin or something, or a frog? I don't know) and I'm not very good at drawing things up from imagination, more from observation.. So all I did was draw a pill bottle and some other stuff sliced in the middle.. Sigh, not very creative.

And you're absolutely right, their standards will remain the same so the amount of portfolios does not matter. This is just me blabbing, I'm nervous but I've fully accepted and anticipate art fundamentals. I have a year to improve myself and although my parents wouldn't like to hear this but.. AN EXTRA YEAR OF SCHOOL, YAY! It may cost more $$$, but I've always imagined art school not as a thing I go to before going off to work, but a place to help me master my skills, or at least to a level I'd be proud of, haha.

I wouldn't judge whether you followed the requirements or not by what the vast majority of people in line had. When I handed in my portfolio there were people in front behind me who (and I didn't even see inside their case) broke at least three of the rules just by looking at them.

AND WAIT, "this year had some much stronger portfolios than last year"

Something that got said every year I was at sheridan.

BTW did you see those guys who are.. older than I expected (since I'm 17) with giant paintings of like.. dragons? I thought fantasy stuff was disapproved of. .

It is. Refer to above

I was the short asian guy and one of the only ones carrying a small folder instead of a fancy case.. Yeah, I suck

As I recall the requirements said something about clean and organized presentation. There was nothing explicitly stated about a leather zippered case so don't feel bad. Refer to above.

14 AT MAXIMUM DAYS LEFT TIL WE FIND OUT!

Every year there is often a very long delay with many people's applications. The year I got in there were many others left 'under consideration' for quite a while after my status changed. It isn't like christmas morning. There might be delays.
There is also never any 'at maximum' when it comes to the online services of sheridan. Sometimes it can take a very long time to find out anything. Don't go crazy.

With that said I stayed up all night hitting refresh on my browser when I went through that time period.

A artist who's art style is influenced by anime or done digitally doesn't mean they can't display things like line weight, proportion, line variety, light source and good composition and coloring techniques. Just make sure it doesn't flood your portfolio.

The illustration portfolio is done from observation so anime is inappropriate if submitted under those guidelines. It tells the evaluator nothing about how well you can draw from observation.
You might as well submit a chunk of math homework and a written essay for all the good it will do.

....and the written instructions for the requirements can fit on one sheet of paper. If a student includes things they explicitly state not to then the student is screwing themselves over. It's one of the only things they say not to do.

They also say no heavy metal frames. Plenty of those sticking out of cases when I walked by ....heh.

People in the program aren't even allowed to use digital on illustration projects (outside of computer class) until at least the latter part of second year.

Last year was actually atrocious though. The pass mark was a good 30 points under what it was the year I applied. A lot of people were freaking out about how awful most of the stuff was. There was ONE illustration portfolio that scored above a 90. In my first year class alone there were five people who had recieved 90 or above.

Last year was actually atrocious though. The pass mark was a good 30 points under what it was the year I applied. A lot of people were freaking out about how awful most of the stuff was. There was ONE illustration portfolio that scored above a 90. In my first year class alone there were five people who had recieved 90 or above.

i guess as long as the teachers arent grading on "whats good for that sttudents level of ability" and rather on "whats good" then im fine with lower scores getting in. If they end up learning and able to produce just the same, what's the hurt eh?

Obviously though if they're producing *in*sufficient work, that's where it becomes problematic.

But I imagine many of the students applying that dont' get in, or that get in who are deemed "atrocious" are probably from a school where art isn't a focus. Right out of high school, Ontario is awesome that it has art high schools, but really only in the big cities. If you go out of the province, most don't have art as a focus, and only offer an under-funded arts-and-crafts version of what *should* be taught.

But I imagine many of the students applying that dont' get in, or that get in who are deemed "atrocious" are probably from a school where art isn't a focus. Right out of high school, Ontario is awesome that it has art high schools, but really only in the big cities. If you go out of the province, most don't have art as a focus, and only offer an under-funded arts-and-crafts version of what *should* be taught.

I hear that! I came from a high school in Nova Scotia. I had to bust my butt to get in, I probably wouldn't have been accepted if it wasn't for all the awesome people on CA.org helping me out. :B

Is this good enough? I had no idea how creative they wanted us to be so I held back a tad

And I know they said fantasy/horror isn't allowed but I considered these 2 drawings surrealism and thus stuck it to the man. Then added 2 more drawings just in case

^ My art teacher considered them to be surrealism so I just kinda did that. I also gave them a title taped to the plastic (obviously not over the images but in a corner or blank spot). I thought if I gave them a title that explained what I thought about them then they would consider it surrealism? Or am I trying to hard here? xD

Don't judge their quality of line please! Photo's suck badly and they look 10x better in reality. Take my word for it please.

PS: I think some may be warped since I took the pictures at a angle a bit. It was either that or have horrible glare...

Last edited by My57; March 19th, 2010 at 10:31 PM.

My observational skills may be great but i said nothing about my drawing skills